Coyans in the Czech Republic

lent

passion

Cambridge Dictionary
passion noun
/ˈpæʃ.ən/ n [C or U]
a very powerful feeling, for example of sexual attraction, love, hate, anger or other emotion

Mirriam-Webster Dictionary

Main Entry: pas·sion
Pronunciation: \ˈpa-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin passion-, passio suffering, being acted upon, from Latin pati to suffer

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, which marks the day Jesus entered Jerusalem, and the beginning of the week of his passion. The word 'passion' comes from a Latin word which means 'suffering'. The suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross has always been referred to as The Passion. In modern times, we have come to apply the word to any kind of strong feeling, or commitment, though more properly it describes a suffering for some worthwhile thing.

We have lost this sense of the word, in part perhaps, because there is so little of this kind of passion left in the western world. There is little we care enough about to suffer for. However, we are still prone to "suffering" ... but of another kind. The root meaning of 'suffering' that we find in the word 'passion' occurs also in the related word, 'passive'. And though we don't associate passivity with strong feelings, the passive person suffers as well. But this suffering comes from outside forces, and is the result of inactivity and lack of direction.

How different is the passion of Jesus: directed by God and willingly accepted. Jesus actively chose his path and the sufferings that followed. In Jesus we see not only the full depth of God's passion for us and the suffering that was a necessary part of it, but the full depth of one perfect human's passion for God: obedience that led to death.

How do we respond to God's call to follow him? Are we passionate? Or passive? Both ways lead to suffering: if passionate, we actively choose God's way and follow Jesus obediently, often suffering as he did; if passive, the suffering we experience is not part of God's plan for us, and is the pain of being distant from him, out of his will. To walk with Jesus, who said, "take up your cross and follow me", we must accept God's direction and choose to follow the path laid out for us. This is a path of certain passion (suffering), but also certain hope, because Easter always follows Lent.

(thanks to Devotions for Lent)